Outsourcing has been around for millennia. When – for whatever reason (time, money, skills, etc) – your employees can’t complete a task, it makes sense to bring in a trusted external party. The job or project can then be implemented in the right way, based on expertise and best practice.
This principle is highly relevant in the ICT industry. Technology advances at an astonishing rate, so having experts onboard is a must.
In this article, we’re examining why outsourcing your ICT strategy is a good idea – and why many organisations are hesitant to bring a specialist in.
What tasks are traditionally outsourced?
Most organisations wouldn’t blink at a bit of ICT outsourcing. We’re often asked to oversee individual projects (like cloud migration or system development) or take control of systems management.
These sorts of projects require a unique skill set. Hiring a dedicated employee with these talents isn’t feasible for SMEs, churches and charities. It’s just too expensive. As such, consultants are often turned to.
We’re always pleased to work on any project, whether it’s temporary or ongoing. In this blog post, though, we’re challenging the idea that consultants can’t be brought in at a strategic planning level.
Can you outsource strategy development?
ICT strategy is the carefully-planned application of technological resources to support your overall business plan. When developing this strategy, it’s essential to sit down and understand all the implications. For example, your finished ICT strategy should:
- Benefit your organisation as a whole
- Further specific targets in your business plan
- Result in a more efficient system or method
- Improve the end-user (staff, customers, or clients, etc) experience
- Reduce your ongoing costs
- Be cyber secure
While the above tasks are often outsourced, many organisations are uncomfortable with bringing in external help for ICT strategy. We’d like to challenge that perception.
Yes – you can outsource ICT strategy development. That’s the short answer. The following section will explain how this can benefit your business or charity.
The benefits of outsourcing ICT strategy
The benefits of outsourcing your ICT strategy (to a tried, tested and reliable consultant) make a significant positive difference. Here are just a few:
- Improved planning leads to a more efficient overall system.
- Cost modelling will be more accurate (consultants will have worked on similar projects hundreds of times before).
- You’ll have access to niche expertise for the more challenging parts of the strategy.
- There’s no need to hire a specialist employee(s) (which is far more expensive).
- Experienced consultants work with your team to implement your business strategy.
- Your organisation’s leadership can turn to an expert when they aren’t sure which way to turn. This keeps everything ticking over smoothly.
- Your strategy will lead to an ongoing and sustainableICT system.
We’ve found organisations are often hesitant to outsource any planning and strategic tasks.
This is often down to wanting to keep complete control or protecting commercial privacy.
However, bringing in an ICT consultant doesn’t mean you need to relinquish control. Not at all. A professional should be working with you and for you. They aren’t there to take your project over but assist you and your leaders in making wise decisions. They can then take this advice and apply it in a manner particular to your business or charity.
How AMDH’s specialised strategic ICT consultants can help
Outsourcing anything can be a little nerve-wracking. We know. Don’t worry! At AMDH Services Ltd, we’re here to reassure you.
Our consultants are highly trained, qualified, and have decades of combined experience. We’re a trusted service and can assure you of complete confidentiality and privacy. It’s our job to work for you and with you, and we’ll never attempt to take control of your strategy. At the same time, we’ll offer a unique insight into the industry, helping you get ahead of the competition and future-proof your organisation.
Hiring a consultant is far less expensive than hiring a dedicated employee to assist with your strategy. Please get in touch for more information on how we can help, including cost estimates. We’ll be delighted to have a chat (completely obligation-free, of course!) about your situation and what we can do. We can be reached through the contact box below. We look forward to hearing from you.
